I made farfel with mushrooms for my husband for years because he had asked me to. I wasn’t that excited about the side dish but it was delicious. I decided to use shiitake and cremini mushrooms which added to the flavor. Another tip was to boil the farfel in chicken broth. My husband was happy, so that makes this another go-to side dish!

After a morning at Evanston’s Farmers Market, I had fresh arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and sweet onions in my bag. I had also picked up a loaf of fresh bread, prosciutto, and sliced mozzarella from my favorite small Italian grocery store, Poeta’s in Highwood. It was a gorgeous day and several people were stopping over, so I decided to make an open face sandwich with all my purchased goodies.

Heat, clean, and oil your grill. Cut your loaf of bread in half and drizzle it with olive oil. Place the bread open side down to crisp and grill, being careful not to burn. Take your bread off the grill and set aside. Finely dice several cloves of garlic and sprinkle over bread. Next I cut up all my goodies from the morning shopping trip. I sliced my tomatoes and onions, washed my arugula, and snipped and diced some fresh basil from my potted garden. I sliced a ripe avocado (drizzle lime juice over the slices to prevent browning) and sliced the prosciutto and cheese.

Now it’s time to have fun! I made one sandwich with meat and veggies and one with avocado and veggies. The important thing to remember is start with a layer of cheese and end with cheese on top. You can layer your veggies and herbs also adding a dash of kosher salt and cracked pepper. The next step is to place them back on the grill until the cheese melts being careful not to burn the bread. Slice and serve!

This recipe is fresh, delicious, and bursting with summer flavors. Try adding your favorite vegetables. Remember the fresh lime is the key to bringing out the best taste. It is inspired by a recipe from David Frenkiel and Luise Vendahl of Green Kitchen Stories.

If there is one dessert you need to try it’s this one. It’s peaches to perfection! I happen to loves peaches simply sliced off the pit, nothing added. But when you fill it with a mixture of brown sugar and butter and wrap it in a wonderful puff pastry, then top it with an amazing bourbon sauce… you have the best dessert ever! The crust is warm and crunchy, the sauce is melting over the dumpling, and a caramel goodness is oozing out of the dough. It’s so good! I credit another blogger Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen with this recipe. I used premade dough, only Dufour, but it’s not hard to make your own. Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Roll pastry dough to a 12″x18″ rectangle, and divide into six 6-inch squares. If dough gets too soft or warm while you’re rolling it, continue to the square stage, but then transfer the squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill them in the freezer for a couple minutes, until they firm up again.

• Halve peaches, and remove pits. Scoop a little but extra out of the pit so that there is more room to pack the filling.

• Mix brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a little dish.

• Spoon 1 lightly packed tablespoon on top of each peach, smooshing as much of the sugar mixture as you can into the center.

• Dot the top of each with a piece of the cold butter.

• Center a peach half, cut side up, in your first pastry square. Bring corners up to meet each other over the center (if it feels tight, or as if you’re short of dough, make sure that the dough underneath is flush with the peach curve; it tends to get slack) and seal the seams together, pinching with your fingertips.